There's no denying a youngster's attraction to water, and the folks at Baby Einstein tap into that natural interest--and broaden it. They take babies and toddlers from bathtime to the beach, from tap water to waterfalls and geysers. A puppet octopus and duck serve as guides through clearly labeled sections: Ocean, Rivers and Lakes; Rain Drops and Puddles; Water at My House. A child speaks the title at the beginning and end of each unit, but those are the only words in this 24-minute "video board book." The rest of the sounds come courtesy of Handel, Telemann, Beethoven, and Johann Strauss. Both toy animals and real ones swim through the scenes and the footage of dolphins, sea turtles, and marina fish are fascinating enough that preschoolers won't mind sitting in with younger siblings. (Ages 1-3)
--Kimberly Heinrichs
1 Finally Baby Einstien got it right!
I've watched 15 Baby Einstein dvd's and there's only four that I like. Baby Neptune ~ Discovering Water happens to be one of them. The others I'd recommend are Baby Galileo (sky), Baby Newton (shapes) and Numbers Nursery (1 - 5). When I first saw Baby Neptune I was so surprised. It was so different then most of the Baby Einstein videos that show toys and spinning things. This one actually shows beautiful real live video of things in nature such as dolphins, waterfalls, waves, zooming above the ocean, underwater scenes, etc. It shows water in these catagories: Water In The Oceans, Water At The Beach, Water In Rivers & Lakes , Water In Raindrops & Puddles and Water At My House. This video actually has cute puppets (I usually don't like the Baby Einstein puppets). I could still do without all the toys and spinning & rocking things (they still have some of that in here). My little girl (about 17 months at the time of first watching this) laughed when the puppets came on and she liked when they showed the baby. One really great feature on the dvd is the Aquarium found in the bonus features. It shows a diver under the water feeding fish. The fish are really neat and you hear nice music, waves and bubbling water. The Aquarium lasts almost 14 minutes. This nice feature may be missing from the vhs version, which would be a shame. I have many other reviews for kids videos.
2 Our family's absolute fave
We got Baby Neptune after our son was entranced by a visit to the aquarium at 4 months. He's now 16 months and this is still his favorite Baby Einstein video. He loves the fish and turtles swimming in the aquarium, the rubber duckie "blue danube" sequence, and the puppet shows of the octopus and duck. My husband and I love the music. If our son is having a fussy period but it's not time for bed yet, this is the one we always turn to to chill him out. The music in the closing sequence always soothes him. The bonus feature of the guy feeding the fish inside the tank is pretty cool too. Our only complaint is that this video is shorter than the other Baby Einsteins we own--it's only 23 minutes long.
3 A Family Favorite
Our family was introduced to the "Baby Einstein" series of videos when our daughter was 6 months old. Most videos didn't seem to hold her attention more than a few minutes, but Baby Neptune was an immediate hit. At six months old, our daughter giggled and laughed at her favorite parts of the video, and she would watch this video from start to finish on the rare occasion that Mommy or Daddy allowed that much TV in one setting (about 30 minutes)
This video remained one of our daughter's favorites for over a year (also see "Baby Galileo"), and only began to fall out of her favor at 20 months of ge. The background music is adult-friendly (Handel, Telemann, Beethoven)- an important point since these videos will be played many times over.
4 Fun and entertaining introduction to water
My daughter LOVES this video. She can sit for a very long time glued to it, thank heavens for repeat play! ( I love that feature) She has been watching it since she was five months old. It just grabs her attention. She loves the aquarium featurette, as well.
I had made Aquarium and Water my overall theme for her toys and gear since I was unaware of whether I was having a boy ir girl and this goes perfectly with her other gear (highchair, etc.)
She even loves the CD version of this video for the car ride. She still recognizes the music.
I also strongly recommend Galileo, Van Gogh and Noah.
5 the fascinating world of water for toddler age kids
the great thing about the einstein series of videos is that simple ideas like water can create a world of experience and wonder, when presented in a way that this video footage does. toddlers will enjoy this. my son is 4 yet he will still sometimes pick this to watch. beach scenes, kids playing with water, puppets, etc this is a fun way to watch one of our most basic resources, and helps kids learn the importance of it. all the videos in the einstein collection are fabulous
6 The best so far...
My 4.5 month old loves this DVD - the music is great and he loves water. He loves the turtle and the duck and all the kids they show. My husband and I enjoy this Baby Einstein also.
I say this is the best so far because we are getting Baby Monet for Easter and it might be even better.
7 A winner
After sampling our first Baby Einstein video (Baby Bach) we found a good deal on all 13 DVDs and so far, this one rates first with our 10th month-old. She's enjoyed all of the DVDs, but our little girl lights up when we put this one on in the background while she plays. If your child loves bathtime, like ours, most likely they'll love this DVD. Our little girl is infatuated with the puppets, especially the turtle and duck, and this Einstein actually has more puppet scenes than the others for her age group. I can't see how this can't rate well among what else is available at this age level. Definitely worth the cash for the repeated giggles and smiles.
8 Great for babies just starting to develop an attention span
The case says "9 months and up", but we've been showing it to our daughter since she was six months old (she's eight months old today), and she loves it. As it plays on repeat, she'll sit in rapt attention for as much as two hours, which comes in awfully handy when my wife wants to grab some extra sleep in the morning! :-) I just did that this morning, in fact. I don't think this particular DVD would appeal all that much to children over eighteen months or so, though, as other reviewers have hinted.
The producers must have had fun collecting footage for this one, because there's lots of beautiful and dynamic footage of waves, rivers, rain, sea creatures, you name it. These are interspersed with brief puppet interludes, which my daughter especially likes: she really perks up when the little turtle guy comes on.
None of stuff like this should be considered a *substitute* for human interaction and actual hands-on play, to be sure. Still, kids can learn from television: just look at Sesame Street, The Electric Company (well, back in my day, at least)... I think this goes for very young children too, as they can take in all kinds of stimulating imagery that they wouldn't otherwise be exposed to at all. I don't totally buy into the "Baby Einstein" concept as such--you know, that this is actually going to result in a higher IQ for my child, necessarily--but it sure won't do any harm, and it's fitting and engrossing entertainment for this age.
9 My 6 month old LOVES it!!!
I think it is a really great video. My daughter adores the puppets, especially the duck! She cackles whenever she sees him!
10 Another winner by the Baby Einstein Company!
Another winner by the Baby Einstein Company! Our 15 month old LOVES it!
11 Our son's favorite!
Our 8 month old loves this DVD. He enjoys all of them, but I think this one is his favorite. He actually laughs at the beginning of it! The music is very upbeat and keeps his attention and has great "real life" scenes of the ocean, etc. A must have for your baby!
12 One of the better ones
My daughter has all of the Baby Einstein DVD's, and this is one that she prefers. The music is very good and the photography is also first rate. Additionally, it does not feature any one thing for too long, which keeps her attention. Very good.
13 Very effective
This is a very effective video for holding our son's attention, with nice underwater scenes. I think that some of BE's other videos are better (ie, Baby Mozart) for that purpose. But overall, this is an excellent addition to our collection.
14 Our sons favorite
Our 5 month year old loves this video the best out of all the Baby Einstein products. He also really like baby Newton. We have the entire series and have found that the videos are sort of hit or miss. Our son really enjoys the shows that are heavy with puppets.
15 It grows on ya
After loving most of the wonderful B.E. DVD's, we finally came across one that was not an immediate hit. At first when we tried to show this one to our two-year-old, she actually walked way - and that's NEVER happened with any of the others! However, after several attempts, she decided that the duck, octopus and turtle were lots of fun - oh and the water stuff is kind of interesting too! Now it's in the rotation with Galileo, Van Vogh and Shakespeare. And I'd change my rating to 3 stars, but I don't seem to have that option at this stage.
16 Amazingly calming, entartaining, and educational
We bought this for our (then 13 month old) daughter before we went to the beach this past summer, so that she'd be able to see some of the things she'd encounter there (we live in the land locked midwestern US). We popped it into the DVD player and she instantly started jumping up and down in glee! Dancing to the music, pointing out the animals, even naming a few (at 13 months, no less!). Even at this point, she still enjoys the video, nowadays shaking her head when she knows one of the characters in it is about to do something silly ...
My wife and I couldn't have been happier with this DVD. In my opinion, it is the best of the "Baby Einstein" videos. It's really the only one that I can watch (for the umpteenth time) and not be bored to death with - in fact, between all of the ocean and other water scenes, I find it somewhat calming.
I suppose it doesn't hurt that watching the video also reminds me of what a great time we all had at the beach ;)
17 Top Ten
Of the things that buy me a moment of peace, this is in the Top 10. I'm not a big TV person and feel a little guilty about putting him in front of the tube, but the B.E. videos are an almost perfect compromise. Baby Neptune gets the most airtime. Some of the scenes feel a little rushed (blip they're there, blip they're gone) and it's barely 30 minutes, but there are no commercials, the music is wonderful, I love the ocean scenes and the aquarium is a peaceful bonus. We got them when our son was 6 mos (now 1 yr) and I can't say he's riveted, but he does enjoy it and has a great deal of fun playing with us and the puppets. Maybe it's not really educational, but it is entertaining and sometimes that's even better.
18 Another hit
As with most of the Baby Einstein videos this is a hit with my children. The music and images are pleasant and captivating. This DVD can be used both as a teaching tool and as a *blush* attention getter when you need to distract your child for a while.
19 The best thing every invented for babies!
I always swore I wouldn't put my kids in front of the TV, but this video has been a lifesaver! My husband travels a lot so when it's time to get my son's bath ready I put him in his bouncy seat in front of baby Neptune for 15 minutes. He loves watching the different clips, and the puppets are his favorite. I also like that their website sends you in the right direction to find the toys featured in the video, just in case your little one really takes to one of the toys.
20 Cracks him up all the time!
Until recently my son wasn't interested in this one. He loved Baby Mozart and Baby Bach, but showed no interest in the other videos. Now he is over 9 months and both this video and Baby Beethoven crack him up. I wouldn't say this one is educational, and I have honestly not seen how I could make the videos educational for my son because he doesn't want to pay attention to us when he watches this, he just wants to stare.
So anyway, baby neptune and beethoven crack him up because of the puppets. The duck is his favourite, he laughs each time the duck appears. He has shown a great interest in puppets since he was 7 months (I have a few puppets at home that we play with) so this DVD was the best thing for him right now.
I have to say that I am very entertained by the puppets too. I think the duck is very silly looking and very expressive.
I can see how they wouldn't work for other kids, but for my son, they're the best!
21 Water Magic!
One of the tops in my opinion! We like this one and Baby Galileo the best. As usual the music is wonderful and all the scenes have a magical quality...I think I enjoy watching this one as much as my son does!
22 One of the Very Best in the Baby Einstein Series
Baby Neptune is absolutely fantastic. The photography of various waterscapes is gorgeous, and the classical music is varied and lovely. We have quite a few of the Baby Einstein DVDs, but this has remained one of our son's favorites from six months on--his first word was even "fish"! (There is a nice added bonus, the Aquarium option, which plays music and shows a diver feeding fish at Colorado Ocean Journey--very calming stuff.)
23 Eeeww.. hated it
My baby does like this video, but I can't stand it. I first purchased Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven and liked them a lot, but when my daughter got older (6 months) I decided to try something new. So I bought her some of the Fisher Price videos. She loves them, and I do too. Then I decided to try this video because unlike Mozart and Beethoven they actually have nature scenes and stuff in this video. My daughter is entertained, but the way they try to make the kids in this video all "cutesy" is annoying. The kids in the Fisher Price videos are very cute. They're filmed doing many different activities, playing with moms and dads, sleeping, eating. Very cute. But the kids in this video are always mugging for the camera - a complete turn-off for me. So, I gave this video two stars because it definitely entertains my daughter. But only two stars because I can't stomach it myself.
24 My child hated this one!
My child cries when I put this one in. He hates the animated dancing crayons. Let me just say that these movies have such an appeal to babies because, in the exact words of Julie Clark, "they capture the sights and sounds of baby's real world." I don't know about you, but there are no computer animated, singing and dancing crayons in my child's real world. I think Disney forgot that the simplicity of these movies is what makes them so loveable. Pass on this one and stick with the earlier versions (before Disney took over)My child adores Bach, Mozart and both the Dolittles.
25 My baby has loved since birth!
My 7 month old loves this DVD. It says it is for 9 month olds. She has watched it since birth. She has others, but this one really gets her excited! I do not advocate children watching television. However, this will give you a chance to eat dinner every now and then.
26 My son is in awe!
My 8 month old son has been watching this video since he was 4 months old and he absolutely loves it. His feet kick with delight at the puppet scenes and he laughs at the images. We enjoyed this video so much that we bought it in DVD and in VHS so that he could watch it at home and at both grandparents' homes. The added extras on the DVD are great too, especially the aquarium footage. Great job, as usual, Baby Einstein Company!
27 NOT a good one at all
My 9 month old daughter who loooooves Baby Eienstein videos totally hates this one. I don't know why but this one simply was a total waste of money. Whatever their formula is that makes babies love these videos was lost on this one. It is well known among other moms that this is the one to stay away from.
28 gweedo
Decent video with good images, contrasting colors, etc. However the box states "9 to 18 months". I would wait until the kid is a good 12 to 14 months. Our 10 month old enjoys the Einstein videos that he has, but has no patience whatsoever for this one. There is too much of a story and not enough emphasis on cartoon-like colors and baby-friendly sounds. Good one, though, for older tot's...
29 Best in the series!!!
I bought this for my 1 year old daughter because she already has Baby Mozart and Baby Beethovan and loves them both. This is by far the best in the series. The combination of real life water footage and puppet animation captures my daughter's attention and keeps her completely entertained. She loves watching fish swimming on the big screen. It justs keeps getting better and better. A must have for your infant or toddler.
30 Favorite One!!!
My (...) son has the whole series and this one is by far his favorite. He loves the octopus and duck at the beginning so much that I bought him the puppets at a [store]. He carries them around the house ALL day! Anyway, back to the video...He loves them all, but this one has kept him entertained after a million viewings. He never gets tired of it...he loves water! He asks to watch this one over and over again. This was money well spent!!!
31 Great DVD for little minds
My 16 month daughter recently received this as a gift. It's not her favorite, but it's close. She loves watching the puppets and the different ways they interact with the water. She'll actually sit and watch the whole thing. Amazing! A great addition to the Baby Einstein library.
32 Baby Neptune DVD
My son LOVES this DVD...We first watched it when he was 6-7 months old and it did not hold his attention like Baby Bach and Baby Mozart did. However, the DVD states 9 months and up so I gave it another try. He LOVES LOVES it---water everywhere...if your child enjoys bathtime I am sure they will love this DVD.
33 Our favorite!
My twin sons (6 mos.) have enjoyed a few of the Baby Einstein videos, but this is their (and my) favorite! The music and images are beautiful - and they love all the various scenes with water. I really enjoy the music - don't mind listening to it over and over again. They love the duck puppet, and the segments with babies and children! A must have from the series!
34 Loved it at first, and STILL love it!
We got this for our daughter when she turned 1 and she absolutely loved it! She was very captivated by it and loved dancing to the classical music. Even now at almost 2, she still pulls it off the shelf to watch it and learns new things each time. And...the characters in it are so cute! We just wish it was a little bit longer!
35 LOVING IT!!!
I bought this just out of curiousity when my son was 4months. Thinking he would enjoy it in a few months. But when I played it he fell in love with it, and watches every last minute with great intent, even after 3 months. I really recommend these dvds they're wonderful. They are always changing so the don't lose the childs attention, bright colors words, and pictures, they have everything!!
36 Keeps my son's attention better than any other DVD/show
This is the only DVD my very active 21 month old will sit and pay attention to. I bought it for him because of his love of water. He'll stick his whole head in the tub when he takes a bath! He's intrigued by all of the different water scenes and likes to point and "talk" about what he's watching.
37 A GREAT VIDEO TO WATCH- WITH YOUR CHILDREN
We had bought this for our son Giovanni along with the whole collection that we bought [at our local store]. I must say this video is one of our son's favorite. It explores water along with sea animals and music to match. It's fun energetic and it's a video you don't mind watching over because there isn't any annoying country song or boring pictures. This keeps my son entertained for 30 min so I can do things in the house. I recommend this highly for anyone looking for a video that isn't generic and keeps your child entertained.
38 Baby Enjoys It
This is a very nice video, babies seem to enjoy it...my 15 month loves to watch it, she laughs and giggles every time she sees the movie.
The Disney controversy is up to you to decide, but I feel the video is as good as the "old" ones, just a slightly different style.
39 Better options if interested in stimulation/learning
My 15 month old is thirsty for stimulation and I am very disenchanted with the majority of the Baby Einstein videos. They say that they're for ages 0-3 but my daughter was quickly bored after just 8 months. There aren't many options out there to give yourself a much needed 30 minute break in the day without feeling the guilt of hypnotizing your baby. Some of the Leap Frog products do offer some stimulating content but they're for older children. The best video for development and entertainment is Juno Baby. But they're difficult to get...I think only available through their website. As for the Baby Einstein series, they do occupy the attentions of very young babies but don't believe that you're getting anything developmentally sound out of them.
40 Neptune is King at our House!
My daughter was captivated by the images and music of this video from the first time she viewed it at 3 months. I played it for her on a lark, not expecting much from the initial viewing, as it is labeled "9 months and up." Was I fooled. In every scene of the montage, something is moving - sea turtles swimming, bubbles floating, children playing, etc. - and she was riveted to the sequences of movement and gentle, engaging music.
This was the first BE video I purchased, and in comparison, I'm disappointed with earlier ones. The images don't hold my daughter's attention in the same way Baby Neptune does. If we need a few minutes of quiet time to settle her when she's cranky or to eat a meal, we go for Baby Neptune every time.
41 BEAUTIFUL ADDITION TO THE COLLECTION
This DVD is wonderful. My 20 month old daughter is absolutely fascinated by this DVD. It is beautifully filmed and the characters are colorful and entertaining. The music is refreshing and it's so easy to follow. This DVD would not be enjoyed by a 12-15 month old though. I think it should be for 18m+. Buy it, you will not be disappointed. Also the DVD extras are great...the aquarium and activities are even stimulating! A++++
42 Totally Love It
My son is 21 months and he loves this video! We have a bunch of these video's and he loves them all.
43 the best DVD ever
To say that my 6 month old loves this is the biggest understatemnet of the year. She LAUGHS and giggles and squeals and bounces frantically. Her 3yr old and 2 yrd old sisters beg to watch it again and again. We've had it on for 5 hours this morning while i pay bills and make phone calls. They just want to watch it over and over. We also have Galileo and love that, but not quite as much as this. Visually its amazing and almost all of the shots and video are recognizable and familiar to them, so that makes it even more enjoyable. I plan on getting every last Baby-series DVD they have after seeing the response to this one.
44 My daughter likes this DVD as much as the others.
My 2 year old loves this DVD - just like she loves all Baby Einstein DVDs! She loves the turtle and all of the water shown in this DVD. Kids naturally love the water and my daughter is no exception. She will usually watch this whole DVD, dancing around the entire time. I definitely recommend this one.
45 My daughter's favorite
My daughter loves Baby Neptune. Repeat play gives her hours of entertainment. She is probably a bit spoiled; she is our first and we have every possible educational video and toy for infants. This has been her favorite since about 15 weeks. The bright colors and mix between animation and real ocean scenes is perfect. I hope you all enjoy as much as we have.
46 We loved it!
Our family a big fans of the whole Baby Einstein series.
My daughter Avery is all and truely fascinated with this title. She'll actually move her head around to see the TV if you've moved infront of it while the video is playing.
And come on! The whole final finale of the cute rubber duckies "dancing" and singing is endearing for my eleven month old.
47 My son loves it!
We own several of the Baby Einstein videos, and my 15 month old son loves this one. We first bought it for him shortly after he turned 9 months old, and although it was a bit different from the older Baby Einstein format, once he became familiar with the puppet characters he loved it. If you have a child who loves the puppets in the other videos, the octopus and turtle in this video will delight them. I bought him the bath time book with the characters from this video and he was delighted to see them in a book! THis is a great addition to your Baby Einstein collection!
48 Our Favourite
Our 1-year-old son has 6 Baby Einstein DVDs, but this is the one that both him and we like the best. Admittedly, being Australian, the strong American accent by the children reciting "the beach" and "the ocean" etc is a bit annoying (especially when we really didn't think they needed the children reciting those words), but we soon got used to it, as Baby Neptune is our favourite Baby Einstein DVD.
49 Among the best of Baby Einstein
Baby Neptune is awesome! My 14 month old son smiles each time he sees the orange fish start the dvd. Thankfully there are no more of Julie Aigner-Clark's children cavorting around in what seems like a plea for getting in their 15 minutes of fame. It really made Baby Bach seem so unprofessional!! This one may be a bit more Disney-fied, but I think that the diversity of color and age make it much better. A great addition to baby's dvd collection--and a sanity saver!
50 Excellent DVD!
My son loves this, he's 13 months old now and has been watching it for months. He smiles and laughs at the puppets and other children. It is soothing and interesting.
51 This one is good, but not the best
Baby Neptune is good, but my son doesn't absolutely love it like he does some other Einstein DVD's. I think the music is not as good as in the others. But we still watch it so we don't get too sick of the other ones, and it's not bad. Baby Galileo is much better in my opinion.
52 A favorite Einstein video
This is my daughter's favorite dvd/video that we own- of this series we have Baby Mozart, Galileo and Neptune- she is 16 mo's old and has loved it from her 1st viewing a few months ago. I really enjoy it too- the water scenes are soothing and the music is good. She definitely prefers it to the other two we have, but is pretty mesmerized by those too. I give it 4 out of 5 only because I think they could have done more scenes from home and for the puddles segment- and it could be a little longer. Usually we watch it 2-3 times in a row, althought it does have the repeat play option on the dvd which is nice. I also like the bonus footage of the guy in the aquarium tank-
53 Mom's and son's favorite einstein
We have seen all of the Einstein's and this is by far my son's favorite, although at 14 1/2 months he now likes Newton and Van Gogh almost as much. He and I both love the music and the real world images, and unlike a previous reviewer I think that the fast pace of the images keeps him interested. He was never very into watching the toys that abound in Bach, Mozart and Beethoven - instead he seems drawn to things he sees in the world around him. He loves the puppets and the kids (I have no idea why people have a problem with Julie's kids in her video's - who cares?). I also like the way the video is broken into segments and that everything in the segment goes together (i.e. "water at the ocean" has images that belong in the ocean, "water at my house" has images from around the house, ...) The complexity of the information is also appropriate for the age group - not too easy (...) or too complicated (...). I would strongly recommend this video for the 6 - 24 month age group.
54 Another fun DVD...
If your children are looking for something more about the ocean and they're getting a little older - they should also check out "Captain Jon's Ocean Adventure" (also available on Amazon)
55 Love that duck
I purchased this video on vhs for my 9 month old son and It's on of his favorites. Even I wander in the room for the synchronized rubber ducks at the end. I think that the puppet work in this video holds his attention even more than the moving toys. I completely believe that this is one of the better movies the collection has done.
56 A Great Addition to the Series!
My 13 month old son loves all of the DVD's in the Baby Einstein series. He starts smiling as soon as he sees the caterpillar crawl across the screen, and this DVD is one of his favorites. He loves to watch the babies taking baths and the older kids playing in the puddles. Other fun parts are the segments where the kids play "peek-a-boo" and the segments with the ducks and otters swimming. There is another segment where a diver is feeding fish in an aquarium, and my son gets really excited that the man waves to him. He will start waving at the TV several minutes before the segment comes on, just so he doesn't miss it!
I highly recommend the DVD version of Baby Neptune, because of the additional aquarium material. My son loves to watch the fish, jellyfish, and other animals swim around, and the music on this part is very relaxing. It is great for watching just before bedtime. This was definitely worth the money.
57 Good, but not my kids' favorite
We are relative newcomers to the Baby Einstein revolution. My twins were 15 months before we bought their first one - Baby Beethoven. We just recently purchased Baby Neptune and Baby Galileo.
This is a fine DVD with wonderful music, but it just doesn't hold the attention of my boys the way Baby Beethoven does. I begin to wonder if kids don't just attach to the first Baby Einstein video/DVD they get and that's always their favorite...
This is a bit shorter, and my kids seem to especially like the scenes in Beethoven with the kinetic toys, which are not as evident here.
Always keep in mind as parents watching the Baby Einstein series that the images are for the KIDS and not the parents - yes, I find them a tad boring, but the boys love them, and that's what is important!
I like the special features on this DVD, including the "discovery cards" and the cd-ROM coloring book. These are nice extras.
All in all, a fine video - and as I said, not my kids' favorite, but not the one they're most familiar with, either.
58 Sea for yourself!
My 10 month old daughter has every video in this series. This one is her favorite. I can put her in her saucer, put on the dvd, and I have 30 whole minutes to have a shower and get ready without interruption.
I don't believe in letting the tv babysit, but for those times that you need 30 minutes to get something done, this dvd is captivating.
59 MY SON'S FAVORITE BABY EINSTEIN VIDEO!!!
My son is six months old and he absolutely LOVES Baby Neptune! It is his favorite video in the Baby Einstein series. The packaging says "nine months and up," but he already enjoys it so much. He loves watching the tropical fish, dolphins, whale and sea turtle, and he giggles and tries to talk to the duck, octopus and turtle puppets when they appear. We're thrilled, because we love water and hope he will enjoy it as he gets older as well. The beautiful music and real underwater footage, combined with the darling baby and puppet scenes, make this a pleasure to watch --- even for Mommy and Daddy! We want to limit the amount of TV viewing he does, but we love sharing high-quality, educational viewing opportunities like this with him and seeing his face light up. It's wonderful --- don't miss it!
60 Great DVD for baby!
My son loves water - bath, pool, rain - so this was the first Baby Einstein video that I purchased. It is still his favorite after five months. His face lights up when he sees the duck and turtle come on screen. Since buying this DVD, I have purchased Baby Mozart, Bach, Neighborhood Animals and Van Gogh (his second favorite). The mix of music, puppets and real video footage is a winning combination. Great baby shower or birthday gift for babies.
61 Not engaging
Our 15-month-old son is fascinated by other Baby Einstein DVD's (particularly Baby Van Gogh and Baby Shakespeare), but this just doesn't hold his attention.
It's clear that different hands are at work on this title -- which followed the sale of the Baby Einstein company to Disney -- and that they don't necessarily understand how BE works. The music is as good as ever (thanks to the long-time personnel in the "Baby Einstein Orchestra"), but the visuals are a mess. Earlier titles would show a scene and stick with it for a while, and transition between similar scenes, for example, from one toy to another, or between different views of the same toy. This video madly intercuts between toys, nature footage, and pictures of children... completely missing the simpler approach of earlier titles. The puppet shows are more elaborate, but are they any more charming? No.
To its credit, it's not larded down with obnoxious and intrusive advertising like other Disney titles, but overall you'd still be better with the earlier titles that Julie Aigner-Clark and her people were directly involved in.
62 Good for a water baby
I had read some of the other reviews in which people thought this might not be a good DVD. How ever my son loves the water. He has loved this video since 6 months, now 1 year he still watches attentively.
This is not the best DVD of the series but it is a nice way to show all the water around. Which is actually very calming. You would need to judge your child yourself. As for my friends baby and mine they both love this video.
63 Brilliant!
Our 16-month old son was captivated by this newest Baby Einstein video from the moment we turned it on. He LOVES water and is especially enchanted with all the sea animals. He points to the TV, saying, "Ooooo! Ooooh!" or asking "Wa zat?" He always imitates the moving crab toy you see at the beginning of the video and just laughs and laughs at the puppets. We took the video to his private day-care setting and the kids there LOVED it -- even the older ones! Now, it makes a regular appearance in his diaper bag. They lady he stays with during the day just raves over this video in particular, and we have a few in our collection.
This video is beautifully filmed, is visually captivating, is highly educational, and is so much fun to watch. Even I can't resist watching it from start to finish!
64 A lifesaver!
We bought the Baby Neptune tape for our 3-month old daughter. I was a little worried that she was too young for it, but she was captivated by the music and colors and didn't take her eyes off the screen. She actually squealed every time the duck puppet appeared! This could be a lifesaver when household chores need to get done!
65 Grandma thinks it's great
Our grandson loves to play with water. The hose is one of his favorite toys, so I thought this would be good. I was right. The additional bonus is that it's soothing and a great companion when we're winding down for bedtime or naptime.
Not only do I recommend it, I include it with baby gifts. I think my grandson gets more out of it because he's two years old now. The theme might be lost on tiny ones, but the music is good and you can try it again as they get older and have experienced water play.
66 another good one in the series
I bought the VHS version of this, although we have a DVD player. I actually prefer the VHS, as you can just pop the tape in and go. With the DVD, you have to wait for the menus to load and unless you fast forward the intro, you always have to hear "Hi, I'm Julie Clark..."
That aside, this is a good tape. My 9 month old is definitely not as captivated by this one as she is by the 'Mozart' or 'Beethoven' tapes. This may be due to the fact that there are more real images (such as kids playing with a sprinkler) than puppet and toys flashed across the screen. It is more like watching someone's home movie at times.
67 A+ Video!
We introduced our son to Baby Mozart when he was 2 months old and he really enjoyed it. (Still does.) However, he LOVES Baby Neptune. We bought it for him when he was 6 months old (he's now 8 months old). Our son really enjoys the puppets and at some parts he'll laugh out loud. The music is great, too. This one is definitely more fun for the family.
68 wonderful dvd
i am a huge fan of all of the baby einstein videos - my son has been watching them since he was 3 months old - he is now almost 4 - the dvd has colorful images and toys that are easy for the children to recognize and the video also includes some fish that are not so common - educational flash cards are also featured on the dvd
69 BABY DID NOT LIKE IT
BABY DID NOT LIKE THIS VIDEO TOO MUCH SHE LOVED BABY MOZART THOUGH!!
70 Definitely for the older infant
My four-month-old loves his other Baby Einstein DVDs -- he enjoys hearing the music and watching the colors, shapes, and motion. At first he would just stare in amazement at the screen; now he laughes and "talks" to the screen. I expected that he would like Baby Neptune as well. He gets so excited when he sees the green FBI warning, knowing that one of his movies is beginning. He watched the first few minutes of Baby Neptune and then started screaming. Instead of the lovely music, shapes, and colors like other Baby Einstein videos, Baby Neptune has real life footage -- children playing in a puddle of water, a whale jumping out of the sea, etc. Definitely not so exciting to a four month old. So I'll try again when he's a bit older.
71 Good One
My baby Edwin is 9 month old and he just love this dvd. As soon as he hears the music, he stop moving around and watches it. He starts to make sound when the screen changes to black and the duck suddenly appears. He will watch it over and over until he doesn't hear the music.
72 Neptune is the Greatest!
My child is 6 1/2 months old, and he just loves this video! Everytime he hears the music start, he turns his head and watches the TV and can't take his eyes off the TV. We put him in his bouncy chair and he kicks and kicks throughout the whole video. I actually have time to get things done around the house while he is watching this video!! It's a great video, so keep them coming!
73 Wonderful
My son (17 months) received this as a gift. He has Baby Van Gogh and Baby Shakespeare (VHS versions). This one has quickly become his favorite. He loves the duck. These videos are great teaching tools for young ones. I find them enjoyable as well.
74 Disappointing
My son loves all of his Baby Einsten videos and he has absolutely no interest in this one. Also, I noticed that the sound quality of this ... is REALLY terrible on the VHS versions. I did not want to spend the $$ on the DVD's since I figure that my son will not be into these forever, but it seems as though there is a problem with the quality of the VHS. All of the other videos are fine as far as the sound goes. I was also disappointed to hear many of the same musical pieces as are in the other videos. With so much classical music to choose from, why go with the same stuff? Overall, a big bummer, especially after the other B.E. videos were so wonderful.
75 Water Adventure Pleases our Water Baby
This is my 16 month old daughter's first Baby Einstein video and she absolutely LOVES it! She will sit captivated for the entire 30 minutes and watches it 4 times a day on average! She won't sit still for ANY OTHER video. The scenes are brief enough that it keeps her interest and so beautiful and peaceful that I find myself hooked as well. She especially enjoys the ducks, the puppeteering with sound effects, and the kids brushing their teeth. I have already bought her another in the series to see if we can interest her in it too. Disney did a great job exploring different types of water, activities using water, and animals that live in water. I really feel she's learning something while she watches.
76 A great movie
My 6 month old loves this movie it is one of her favorites she will watch it over and over the duck is her favorite if she is into something else & hears him he has her attention. These shows are entertaning with no violence I love them too.
77 Nice addition to the series
I found Baby Neptune to be one of the better Einstein videos. No annoying scenes of Julie's children trying to be cutesy (something that was a problem in Baby Bach), and plenty of "action" that keeps baby intrigued. I didn't find the frequent change of scenery bothersome, more importantly my baby didn't seem to have a problem with it.
The music is enjoyable as usual, the puppets were fun to watch, they even brought back the silly duck with the red scarf that was featured in Baby Beethoven. It's great to see your baby recognize the characters from previous releases.
There were children interlaced throughout, but nothing like Baby Santa or Baby Bach. You can tell Disney is trying to fine-tune the videos / DVD, and they did a good job with this one. This has a great balance of beautiful scenery, fun and silly toys, and nice music. I give this a thumbs up.
78 Great Content
Just like all the other Baby Eisteins, My son loves this DVD. He calls it "Neptune" and immediately learned all the animals he didn't know already. I decided to write this becuase so many of these reviews were negative. I didn't think it suffered in quality compared to other videos. Maybe their kids had outgrown the age level of these videos. My 3-year old son loves it. I like the "aquarium" feature that allows it to run as a scene on tv. Its defintely a worth while purchase.
79 Great Water Fun!!
This edition of the Baby Einstein series is truly a must have!! My son has been watching these since he was a newborn, and at 21 months he knows all his colors, most shapes, and talks-ALOT. We saw this with another child who watched these videos. Baby Neptune is also enjoyable and relaxing for parents to watch as well.
80 Cute, but not as good.
I never pay attention to the age requirements on the Baby Einstein series. I have a 5 month old son and even though he's not understanding the words and concepts yet, he loves some of the others, such as Baby Van Gogh. But with this one, he just doesn't seem to enjoy it as much. He likes the opening scene (and so do I) since it's fast moving and colorful, but after that he gets bored. Maybe it's better for older children who will understand the words like "ocean" and "river" a little more.
81 Great stuff for kids who like the water
This is a great video! My son loves it and asks for "Baby Turtle" all the time. (The other videos in the series are baby goat, baby lion, baby dragon, baby monkey etc..easy to identify)
My only problem with it is the one quick scene where the child is splashing in a huge muddy puddle with his sneakers on, and making a huge mess! This of course is the scene that is most remembered, and now I have an extra laundry chore whenever it rains. Surely the scene could have been omitted, or at least he could have had on boots.
Otherwise, another great baby Einstein video
82 we love baby neptune
We love all of the baby einstein productions. Although being taken over by disney has altered them, my little boy loves all of them. We have just gotten a DVD player and got this one on DVD for the first time. Sound quality is much better than on the VHS tapes. (I've had bad luck with sound quality on the tapes.) Anyway we love this one too. We also enjoy the aqaurium view with music. Another hit!!!
83 MAXIMUM enjoyment!
We just got this video last night and my two children (ages 3 years and 21 months) want to watch it over and over and over! They didn't want to go to bed last night as they were so excited over this. They don't want to play in the beautiful sunshine today because they want to watch this video. I have had to turn it off just to get them to do something else.
Another hit from Baby Einstein. I personally don't care as to whether it is the same or different from earier videos . . . what I care about is whether or not my children like it whether or not we can talk about it. Both criteria were well met by this video!
84 Thank goodness for Neptune and keep them coming!
Another great video from Baby Einstein. My 18 month daughter has literally grown up on these videos and the books and we're so happy there is a new one. She loves the puppets in this one and the underwater photography is great-she runs to the tv and shots "baby" when she sees the babies in the tub, then wants to go take her bath! Seems that Julie Clark is less invovled now that Disney is running the show, but this video stands up to the rest of the series and even looks better than Baby Bach or some of the others. Another recommendation: the flash cards! The language cards are great for just talking toddlers-my daughter spreads them out and then I ask her to find me: banana, duck and she does. Great teaching tools for young ones!
85 My kids like it, but...
We have all the Baby Einstein videos, and my kids like them, but they weren't as interested in this one as previous releases. Compared with some of the newer options on the market (like the Baby Laureate tapes), the Einstein puppets are starting to look a little old-school.
86 The first disappointing Baby Einstein video
My 14 month old daughter loves all of the Baby Einstein videos. She is enthralled with all of the ones we have, so I was excited to buy this one. She watched it for 2 minutes and walked away. She has no interest in this one, while the others we have to watch ALL of it including the credits each time.
87 Another HIT
This video has all of the things that make babies fascinated. I think that the creator's got a little lazy though because they used some of the same exact music that is featured in other Baby Einstein series videos. Too bad. There is a wealth of classical music and this was a ruined chance to provide small children with its exposure. Otherwise, the video was great.
88 First bad DVD in the Baby Einstein
My daughter loves all her Baby Einstein DVDs and as soon as this new one came out, I went out to buy it for her. She wasn't even interested in it from the very first time we played it for her. Thinking that she needs to get used to the DVD, we played it again and she just wanted entertained by this one like the others. As a parent who bought the whole set of Baby Einstein when I was 3 month pregnant (that's how enthused I was with the product) I'm very disappointed with this new DVD.
89 My favorite but not theirs...
I purchased this with a lot of excitement. I enjoy the fact that the babies (one 10 months and a toddler) learn basic lessons and see beautiful things with the Einstein videos. Baby Neptune has beautiful film clips. I watch it with them and have to admit this is my favorite. Very peaceful in some scenes (the waterfalls and beach scenes are lovely. It also has a more professional look that the earlier ones, such as Baby Bach. I enjoy World Animals for the same reasons.
But I have to admit, neither Baby Neptune or World Animals grabs my kids like Baby Bach/Mozart. They know the scenes from B. Bach by heart and mimick the sounds of the puppets and toys. Not so with Neptune. They also loose interest and play with other things earlier in the film. Maybe it will grow on them in time.
I have noticed that their interest is also influenced by our conversations during the videos as well. Maybe I talk less to them during B. Neptune. Could it be so pretty, too relaxing that it distracts me from the babies (haha)?
90 Very Disappointed
We and our baby love the Baby Einstein DVDs (Bach, Mozart, Nursery & Van Gogh). I wish we had not bought this one. It is not interesting to watch, lacks innovation and charm. The story and music even seem to hack Baby Van Gogh.
I did notice that Julie Aigner-Clark (and kids) are absent on this one...is she not involved in production anymore? Maybe that is the difference. Unfortunately, I will never buy a B.E. DVD again without reading the reviews in advance!
91 Baby Neptune A Wash-Out?---No way!
My son is 7 1/2 months old and loves the Neptune video. He is enthralled by it and laughs at the appropriatly funny parts (like the stuffed fish).
We only have the Language Nusery, who drives my huband and I nuts and bores my son, so I was hesitant....but he loves it...over and over again.
92 Fun, but not in my child's favorite two videos.
This video is not as involving for my seven month old boy as his two favorite videos..."Baby Einstein" and "Singing Babies Toddler Tunes." The later possibly being his absolute, hands- down favorite. However, "Baby Neptune" does hold his attention in parts. I recommend this video for those committed to owning the full library of Baby Einstein products.
93 Brainy Baby beats Baby Neptune by a mile!
A friend gave this to our daughter and I must say that it was very disappointing. Too much blank screen time and ALOT of repetition of scences, I guess to stretch the overall approx. time, which is more like 23 minutes instead of the 30 advertized on the box. No reinforcement or explanation of what was being shown-more eye candy than educational. I'm exchanging mine for another Brainy Baby, as they are 45 minutes and really hold my child's attention, and isn't that the whole reason for spending the money?!
94 happybaby
My baby has loved these videos since he was 6 weeks old. Heis not 18 mos and still loves all of the videos. We have them all. He immediately becomes "hypnotized." I am a single mom and don't know what I would do without these videos. Nothing else seems to keep his attention (not even Barney!).
95 Baby Neptune doesn't quite float
My 16-month-old has been addicted to Baby Einstein videos for months, but she doesn't seem to like this one much. It does not have as many toys and puppets skits as the previous releases. It is lacking in charm as well. I notice in the credits that the production people are all different and Julie Clark is barely mentioned. I think she should come back to the reins here. It does have some great photography and I think my daughter will like it more at at older age.
96 Mesmerizing
This is our favorite of the Baby Einstein's series. It has beautiful underwater scenes of octopus and jellyfish. The music is soothing. The puppets are fun. Our 8-month-old baby is mesmerized by this video. Her favorite parts seem to be the otters and turtles swimming in the rivers. In addition, this video gives you many opportunities to interact with your child.
97 Wonderful!
I bought Neptune for our church nursery based on the editorial reviews I saw. The children were locked to it from the moment the cute octopus starts the music. We had some other Baby Einsteins which most of the kids were just sick of. This one has more real world scenes to it and seems more colorful than others. The music and visuals get the kids dancing like their in the choir. It's so funny to see all these little 12 month+ kids stop everything they are doing and start to jiggle! So we give it 5 stars all the way. Neptune is delightful and a must have. Praise, gratitude and peace.
98 A great addition to my Babies world.
... From my little 14 month old girls perspective, this is one of the best Baby Einsteins yet. She stays totally enthralled with it from top to bottom. There are no scary scenes but I guess everyone is entitle to vent. >We got Neptune as a gift last weekend and were thrilled at some of the fresh changes. Frankly we were getting sick of the same old stuff, and felt Julie was pretty much over it. After all, her kids must be like 22 by now. Neptune was clearly put together with thought and love for kids. I expected to see dancing Goofy's or something, but there is none of the common Disney stuff here. It's got great scenes underwater, close up views of creatures most people might never see, and the puppets are as darling as ever. We even laughed at some of their humor.
(Shelby) my girl dances to this like none other. She points at the fish, and even says "Beach" now! Thanks!!! That's my kind of teaching. She's probably watched this one 4 times in the last day and still can't get enough. I'm sorry that some sour grapes on line don't like it because it's different, but as an average mom, I think its great and so does my girl.
99 Good...but not Julie's greatest accomplishment.
Okay...I must admit that my son is a Baby Einstein junkie! He was very fussy until he was three-months-old and Baby Bach was literally the only thing that saved my sanity on some days. Now that he is past the one-year milestone, he has the entire Baby Einstein library. He particularly loves the Baby Dolittle tapes and will watch them again and again.
We were happy to see a new title to add to our collection and waited patiently for the release date. I must say, I am a bit disappointed overall.
First, the video seems a lot shorter than the other ones. Maybe it's because I bought the DVD this time and am used to the "commercial" at the end of the tapes. My son insists on watching through to the "commercial" on the tapes, as even they hold his attention.
Second, the fast editing is more MTV than Baby Einstein. Our children have dwindling attention spans as it is. Disney's hands are ALL OVER this video. If you watch the Disney Channel, it's the same feeling. More substance and less flash would do this video good. Also, Baby Neptune lacks the panache of, say, Vincent Van Goat (Baby Van Gogh) or Jane (World Animals).
Last, it just didn't seem to hold my son's attention like other Baby Einstein titles. Starting with Baby Beethoven, the new voice at Disney seems to have disturbed the organic quality of the original tapes. To be honest, I miss Sierra and Aspen on this tape. It helped with the "from my house to yours" feel of previous titles. The puppets also seem to be lacking in this video. The interaction of the puppets with other puppets or the children is charming on previous videos.
On a positive note, I recommend the DVD for the repeat play feature if for nothing else. I don't stick my child in front of these tapes for hours at a time, but we often have them on in the background when we are playing together. Still, when you need a video babysitter to get the dishes done, having this option is a lifesaver!
I look forward to the Little Einstein series in the works for older children. I think these tapes will be a touchstone for my child's generation, much like "School House Rock" or "Free To Be You And Me" was for mine.
100 Baby Neptune - What a Washout
How extraordinarily disappointing. The previous Baby Einstein videos were somewhat variable in their quality, I will admit it. Baby Bach lacked a puppeteer and suffered for it. Baby Van Gogh had an awful lot of Aspen and Sierra in it, even if they are cute kids. But Baby Neptune is a homogenized pastiche of the previous videos, relying on rapid fire scene changes and puppets of enhanced "cuteness" instead of personality.
Images flash by disjointedly, not even lingering long enough for frustrated parents to name the scene meaningfully. Shots zoom by in such a fashion to encourage motion sickness. Voiceovers sound as if they are provided by members of the Mickey Mouse Club. Puppeteers continually place their hands and arms in shot, ruining the already poor puppeteering.
And what ghastly puppets they are - with stuffed faces that do not allow them to express the range of movement and emotion that Markie especially brought to the characters. They looked like second rate Disney toy knockoffs, characters that never made it to the big screen. I was surprised not to see Sebastian, Flounder, and the Little Mermaid included as additional homages to the new parent company.
This video was designed by committee, and one that had not yet grasped the successful formula: puppets expressing simple emotions playfully to a background of gentle music and soothing video. Even the music in this video was stolen in parts from the other videos.
Twice as many production staff on this one, three times as many puppeteers, and less than half the quality.
Don't waste your, or your child's valuable time.
